Plan would allow car washing, fountains

Launce Rake and Ed Koch

Friday, Feb. 20, 2004 | 11:41 a.m.

Amended water rules to come next week from Southern Nevada's water wholesaler should make it easier for residents to wash their cars at home and for companies to keep their water fountains running.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority is proposing changing drought restrictions to allow companies that have water fountains to use the fountains if they can significantly reduce water use in landscaping. The proposal, which will go before the authority's board Thursday, would also allow residents to wash their own cars, which is currently outlawed.

The authority had tightened water-use restrictions in response to more than four years of drought that threatened water supplies in Lake Mead. The Las Vegas Valley Water District, other regional water distributors and local governments last year incorporated those guidelines into their water-use and land-use rules, but not without some controversy.

But a few companies -- water authority staffers say a tiny minority of those affected -- racked up thousands in fines for continuing to run their fountains through the end of last year. Some of the same companies lobbied local governments to overturn the water rules, with success so far only at Las Vegas City Hall.

The Las Vegas City Council in December amended its local land-use rules to allow companies to operate water fountains and other features if the companies removed a significant amount of water-thirsty turf -- 50 square feet of grass for every square foot of water feature operating.

The move sparked the overall effort to reform the rules, in part to make them consistent for all the local governments.

"All of the agencies have gotten together and come up with a proposal that would be uniform throughout the Las Vegas Valley," Doug Bennett, water authority conservation manager, said.

The 50-to-1 provision is written into the new proposed rules, with some modifications, he said:

In related news, the water authority's staff will ask the board next Thursday to increase the 2003-04 fiscal funding for the Water Smart Landscapes Rebate Program by $8 million.

The agency had budgeted $12.8 million for the program that started in 1999 and gives customers a rebate for taking out grass and replacing it with landscaping that uses less water than grass.

"The increase in the rebate from 40 cents per square foot to $1 per square foot (for the first 50,000 square feet) in 2003, significantly increased interest in the program," said water authority spokeswoman Tracy Bower.

She said in 2002 about 3.5 million square feet was converted to water efficient landscaping, and in 2003 11.8 million square feet were converted.

To date, 20.8 million square feet of grass has been replaced at residences, golf courses, businesses, churches and other venues for customers of the Las Vegas Valley Water District that serves Las Vegas and Clark County, municipal water districts in Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City and the Big Bend Water District in Laughlin, Bower said.

The decisions to keep fountains running and allow driveway car washes won't come without some sacrifice.

For instance, keeping a fountain running would be very expensive, Bennett said.

"They'll be faced with a tough choice," he said. "The water authority will not rebate the turf conversions. It's all coming out of their pocket.

"It's certainly something they'll need to give a lot of thought to," Bennett said.

At least one water authority board member is concerned about lightening up on restrictions.

"People need to be responsible and I don't see washing cars and (the need to run) fountains as being the big issue," said water authority board member Amanda Cyphers, a Henderson city councilwoman.

"The job of the authority is to find and provide water. It is the responsibility of people to use correctly. It is a precious resources and people have to realize the days washing driveways down with water instead of using a broom are over."

Under the revised rules, homeowners will once again be able to wash their cars at home, a practice that became a violation of service rules throughout the valley when it officially entered the second stage of reaction to the drought, a "drought alert," on Jan. 1. The water authority and regional distributors had hoped people would wash their cars at commercial washing sites, where water is recycled or returned to the sewer, treated and ultimately goes back to Lake Mead.

Water returned to Lake Mead does not count against the total amount that the region is allowed to take from the lake. For every gallon that is returned, the water authority can take another gallon for use.

Bennett said the car-washing rules proposed by water authority staff would mirror those of the "drought watch" restrictions in place last year. Under those rules, people can wash their cars if they have an automatic shut-off or trigger nozzle on their hoses.

That prevents water from flowing freely from the hose into the street and out of the water system.

Bennett said the proposal on car washing is a reaction to the large volume of complaints that the water agencies received.

"A lot of the calls we got (came) from people who felt they used very nominal amounts of water," he said, "and a lot of calls were from people who felt uncomfortable putting their cars in somebody else's hands."

One of those people is Jim Corbett, a homeowner in Paradise township in the county who has three classic cars, including a 2003 Corvette. Corbett would rather hand wash his cars than risk commercial car wash damage. Still he conserves water and is happy with the proposal to lighten restrictions.

"It's super. I think it is great," said Corbett, noting that his monthly water bill is about $20 and that he is a water conservationist who has desert landscaping and no pool.

"I still have problems with fountains and pools and uncontrolled growth with all of these golf course communities that are popping up. We still have to be very careful with those things."

Corbett credits elected officials for listening to constituents to reach a compromise in the controversial car-wash restrictions.

"I sent a letter to my commissioner Bruce Woodbury and he spoke with Southern Nevada Water Authority Board members and the Water District officials. I think that helped make a difference," Corbett said, referring not only to his letters but also complaints from many constituents.

Corbett said he believes the shut-off nozzle is a good compromise, noting he too opposes people turning a hose on to rinse the car then dropping it to the ground, letting water run in the streets while they soap their vehicles.

He said for Christmas he got a high-pressure, low-volume commercial-quality washer that enables him to more efficiently conserve water and properly clean his automobiles.

"I've done three car washes since then and hardly any water has gone (from the driveway) into the street," Corbett said.

Bennett said the authority still hopes that people use commercial car washers when possible. To do that, the authority is working with the companies to offer discounts and coupons, and asking the companies to offer hand-washing options, he said.

Implementing the car-washing and fountain rules could take months. Bennett said the water authority board is scheduled to consider the rules Thursday. But the local governments also will have to discuss and pass similar rules to make them effective throughout the region. A significant change could send the package back to the drawing board.

"These are just recommendations of staff," he said.

Even with the resistance to the existing rules, the region has done well in reacting to the drought, which has sent lake levels falling more than 70 feet, Bennett said. Last year, the total consumption dropped by more than 15 percent, to under 300,000 acre-feet a year, the water authority has estimated.

The lake is the source of 90 percent percent of the Las Vegas' drinking water. Lake Mead is now at 1,140 feet above sea level. If it drops to 1,125 feet, the Interior Department, the controller of water allotments from the lake, would be forced to cut any amounts delivered over 300,000 acre-feet to Nevada and other southern Colorado River basin states, federal officials have warned.

"We want people to realize that this is an experience that we as a community are going through," he said. "We are seeing some good savings. People are doing a good job but we still think there is a lot of untapped potential.

"The intent of the agencies is to do the job that needs to get done but not to impose extraordinary restrictions that aren't needed," Bennett said.

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